Survivor: Ghost Island Week 5 Power Rankings

It speaks to how great this cast is that I’m repeatedly disappointed to lose these pre-merge players. There’s a dud or two out there, but for the most part I’m really into these people and I’ll agree with my good pal Colin Stone who tweeted about how he’d be cool with anybody who’s been voted out so far coming back for a second shot. James was swapped into a rough situation and was unable to make it out alive, but I think he had a decent showing for his Survivor experience

My guest this week is Australian Survivor season 3’s King of Ponderosa/RHAP Australian Survivor and Survivor NZ podcaster Nick Iadanza! Spring/Summer are around the corner, which means you’ll be seeing Nick back in your podcast feeds before you know it. But for now, he’s watching Ghost Island with the rest of us and is here to take a crack at some power rankings. Follow Nick (@NickIadanza) and I (@mattliguori) on Twitter, tweet us to let us know what you think and/or leave a comment below!

Matt

Nick

1. Wendell5

Wendell is already a solid social player, so to enter this new tribe with numbers from original Naviti and with Laurel (who said she wants to work with him and Domenick) is a pretty ideal situation. I’d like to check in with Wendell more often if he’s going to have a shot at this, and this week was a good start.

1. Kellyn

So far I have been loving Kellyn and her smart, snappy takes on the game. She seems to have a strong bond with most people she has had on her tribe, and I like how she brought in Angela with the move to get rid of James. Aside from a Caleb-style medivac, I can’t see any chance of her going home in the next episode… so keep the salt and pepper away from her Jeff!

2. Sea Bass2

Things are still rainbows and lollipops, sunshine and laffy taffy for this guy. He’s got his girl, he’s got his Naviti boys, and is part of the clear strongest tribe in this post-swap world. I notice he’s excited to reunite with Chris, which probably adds him (and Jenna?) to the Chris side of things when Chris vs. Domenick breaks out at the merge.

2. Wendell

Who doesn’t love Wendell? He has been straddling the line between Chris and Domenick pretty nicely and I can’t see him getting caught in the cross fire just yet. I feel like he has a lot of good options on his new tribe with Laurel, Chris and let’s not forget Sea Bass (#Shelliance?). Wendell is safe as houses.

3. Domenick4

Dom went from clawing at old Malolos for a little bit of trust to being back in the majority, still with an idol. I said last week, if Domenick and Chris swap onto different tribes, lock them both in to make the merge. There is no chance either of their Survivor journeys end without the other being involved in sending them home.

3. Domenick

Now this may be a shot in the dark, but if the show has been teasing this epic battle between Chris and Domenick, surely there is no way either of them go before they get a chance to settle to score. While he attracts way too much attention, I believe there will be some pay off for this much-hyped feud. For that reason (and his idol), Do Me Nick, should be safe.

4. Kellyn1

The new Malolo tribe is pretty nonthreatening in terms of combined physical strength, which is weird because all five of them seem like strong individual people… but combined they don’t have much to show. Kellyn’s ties to Desiree (and apparently to Michael) should keep her safe.

4. Sea Bass

Part 2 of the shelliance seems too pivotally engrained in the power dynamics of his new tribe to be going anywhere. His budding flirt-mance with the Long Arm of the Law Jenna and the bond over the remnants of marine life with Wendell will mean he should stick around. However, what could work against him is the impending fear of an individual immunity run (however, it seems he hasn’t been that much of a stand out in challenges yet to be considered that scary).

5. Laurel4

On paper, Laurel seems like the most likely to go home if her tribe doesn’t win immunity. Alas, I have confidence in Laurel’s abilities, and I have confidence in this tribe to not lose. So, I’m letting my confidence do the rankings for me, which prevents Laurel from sinking to the bottom.

5. Donathan

For my money, Naviti 3.0 seems to be the hardest to predict. I have this strange feeling that there is an impending Bradley/Domenick thing foreshadowed in their challenge squabbling and the almost too positive convo on the beach. If that is a thing, (and millions of Survivor viewers can attest that I have been very wrong before…) then I think Donathan will slot nicely in on either side and avoid the target. Especially with supposed She-Devil Libby walking around flashing those pearly whites.

6. Chris7

Imagine if Chris wins this season. That would be hysterical. I don’t even know how I could set up this hypothetical because it’s so unrealistic. Regardless, Chris makes another significant jump this week! He may not be crushing the social game, but for now, the numbers are in his favor.

6. Desiree

I have a feeling the flag burning will be a highly symbolic moment for the rebirth of Malolo and they will avoid Tribal this week. Even if they were to go back there, Des is too close to Kellyn and still has pawns Michael and Angela below her. Faith is her homie, and I have faith she will make the merge… or at least the next ep.

7. Jenna2

This tribe is looking good to avoid Tribal until the merge. Despite being down in numbers from old tribal lines, Jenna has her new beau watching her back.

7. Chris

I cannot stand Chris and I need him gone ASAP. I do not get the love people have for his trainwreckish behaviour and I definitely do not want him on my screens for the long run. But……. for the same reason that I think Domenick is safe, Chris will somehow escape the line of fire until they reunite. I just cannot see us not getting the outcome of these ‘two battering rams’. So Chris, sit back and keep spitting some mad rhymes, you good…. Well you aren’t good in the player sense, but you are good as in safe… you know what I mean.

8. Donathan6

Donathan doesn’t seem to be in the coziest of spots on this new tribe, but if the attention is all on Libby being some Parvati 2.0, it’s pretty hard to see them sending home sweet little Donathan instead of this supposed flirty strategic undercover power-house.

8. Laurel

Now I LOVE me some Laurel. She is my winner pick and I am loving the way she discusses the game. I do think she has options in her new tribe, but I worry when I look at some of the other bootable prospects on her tribe. Aside from Jenna and Chris (who I oddly think will make it further), I hope her name doesn’t come up as default in some zany way and she becomes the robbed pre-merge boot I lament over for years.

9. Desiree

Close call this week! I’m thrilled Desiree finally got some screentime, though I’m sure she wishes it had been under better circumstances. Malolo is now a four person tribe and Desiree/Kellyn seem like an unbreakable duo, so it feels safe to assume Michael or Angela will go home next if (when) they see another Tribal.

9. Bradley

I think there is more gas in the tank for Bradley and I can see him making the merge… but then being booted just after the merge. Speaking from experience as someone who was the consensus vote a few votes after merge time, Bradley can only rub people up the wrong way for so long. For now, despite my prediction of a brewing feud with Domenick, I think he will be fine and become a fellow First Member of The Jury. Trust me Brad, it’s not that bad… and Ponderosa has barely a speck of dirt in sight!

10. Bradley2

Bradley couldn’t get back to his beautiful dirt-free beach fast enough. Now that he’s back and sitting inside a Naviti majority, he should be just fine, right? I guess these ideal circumstances aren’t enough for him if things do blow up next week as previews have suggested.

10. Libby

Is it too obvious? She was the only target discussed in the previous episode and when people start throwing around the words Parvati 2.0, it doesn’t matter if you are that good or just look that good, it is hard to sway people’s opinions.

11. Chelsea3

I’ve never been a coffee drinker, so I absolutely do not relate to Chelsea’s tears of joy this week. BUT, it was interesting to hear Chelsea talk about missing home. It makes me wonder if my good pal Dom Harvey’s theory about somebody possibly quitting could come true, with Chelsea being the one to head home because she misses it so badly?

11. Michael

I feel he has made good enough inroads with Bradley (and by extension Kellyn) that he will be safe this week. Surely if they go to tribal, Angela will be the target and he can cruise through. While his plans rarely work, I still respect the calm energy he manages to maintain for someone of his age. He also seems adept at throwing anyone else under the bus to survive and therefore he should be able to scrape by.

12. Michael

Looks like a certain somebody may have some hidden ties with his new friends from Malolo 2.0. Remember when Michael pulled out the idol and tried to trick Kellyn’s 5 for info on how to play it? And since then, Kellyn has twice put the votes on someone else when it easily could’ve been Michael. Looking ahead, there’s still another player Kellyn can get rid of instead of Michael… Angela, so why wouldn’t she?

12. Jenna

For lack of other options, I think she is the lowest on the Yanuya totem pole. She should be safe with Sea Bass, but Wendell and Chris have no idea who she is and I can see Laurel willingly sacrificing a friend she knew on day 1-6, for her new friends she has made since then. If she gets the snuff, at least she can wash her hair, right?

13. Libby3

Parvati 2.0? I mean, Parvati has played her own 2.0 game. And her 3.0 game. And there’s also been the 43 players since Parvati to claim they’re just like Parvati, so we have to be up Parvati 46.0 by now. Point is, Libby is the odd-woman out at her new tribe and things aren’t looking great from where I’m sitting.

13. Angela

For anyone who watched my season of Australian Survivor, Angela reminds me a LOT of firefighter Kylie. She is nice and she’s tough, but for whatever reason she doesn’t really gel with others the way she wants to. Like Kylie, she was burned and then keeps going back to people who don’t seem to have her best interests at heart. Kellyn used her for her benefit once, but I can see her slitting Angela’s throat before she can get revenge on Wendell/Domenick at the merge. She has too much baggage to bring into that melting pot and will need to go if they lose.

14. Angela

I think Angela’s indecisiveness could come back to bite her this week. The bond formed between Michael and Kellyn/Desiree may be strong enough to break up the tribal-lines. I see no reason why the women would keep around Angela just because of her original buff color; Michael has been willing to vote with them two Tribals in a row and seems way more committed than Angela.

14. Chelsea

I really feel for Chelsea. You go out on this amazing experience, you think it’s going to mean so much, be comprehensively documented and be shown in these epic proportions… and then you’re barely on the show. That must suck. For simple lack of understanding of where she fits, I have to put her in this spot. Sorry Chels!

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Nick fulfilled his lifelong dream of being on Survivor during Australian Survivor’s first season. Now he gets to tick another item off the bucket list by contributing to RHAP, a website he has listened to since 2010. When he isn’t busy being a Survivor fan, he is a senior English teacher in Adelaide, Australia. Twitter @nickiadanza

A defender of unpopular Survivor seasons, Matt is your average reality TV superfan, often found live tweeting all things Big Brother, The Challenge, and RuPaul's Drag Race. His HoH basket would consist of the entire High School Musical discography and the same New York Islanders jersey Josh wore in Big Brother 3.
Twitter: @mattliguori